Engineered sterile cartilage allograft implant plug with sterile, specific instrument kit(s)

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method are provided for performing cartilage allograft implant surgeries. The apparatus comprises an allograft plug kit comprising one or more grafts configured to treat osteochondral defects in various bone joint locations in a patient&#39;s body. Each of the grafts comprises a cartilage layer coupled with a bone portion. The cartilage layer comprises a thickness selected to closely match the thickness of existing cartilage at an implant location. The bone portion comprises surface features configured to encourage the patient&#39;s bone tissue to grow into the bone portion, thereby accelerating incorporation of the graft into the patient&#39;s bone. An instrument kit comprises a multiplicity of instruments configured for implantation of the grafts into the patient&#39;s body, including at least a graft inserter, a guidewire, a reamer, and a size gauge.

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/048,518 filed on Feb. 19, 2016 and U.S.Provisional Application, entitled “Engineered Sterile CartilageAllograft Implant Plug With Sterile, Specific Instrument Kit(s),” filedon Feb. 27, 2015 having application Ser. No. 62/126,053.

FIELD

The field of the present disclosure generally relates to surgicalimplants. More particularly, the field of the invention relates to anapparatus and a method for performing cartilage allograft implantsurgeries to repair osteochondral defects.

BACKGROUND

Articular cartilage is a smooth, white tissue which covers the ends ofbones where they come together to form joints in humans and many animalsso as to facilitate articulation of the joints and protect and cushionthe bones. Cartilage may become damaged, however, due to abrupt traumaor prolonged wear. A number of surgical techniques have been developedto treat damaged cartilage. Restoring articular cartilage is known torelieve pain and facilitate better joint function, as well aspotentially delaying or preventing an onset of arthritis. One surgicaltechnique comprises transplantation of a healthy osteochondral allograftso as to replace damaged cartilage and encourage new cartilage growth.

During an osteochondral allograft transplantation, an allograft plug,often referred to as an osteochondral plug or core, is harvested from acondyle or rounded joint-forming portion of a donor bone. Typically, theallograft plug comprises a portion of bone with a healthy cartilage onthe surface. In some cases, the allograft plug may also include anattached portion of cancellous tissue, which is the porous innermaterial that is present in many bones. During the transplant procedure,damaged cartilage is removed and a portion of bone is cut away andremoved from the joint, thereby forming an osteochondral hole or bore.The allograft plug is then inserted into the osteochondral bore andattached such that the healthy cartilage of the allograft plug alignswith the cartilage on the surface of the bone joint being treated.

What is needed, however, is a kit which enables a surgeon to selectspecifically-sized allograft plugs and corresponding surgicalimplantation tools so as to improve the accuracy and simplicity ofosteochondral allograft transplantation surgeries.

SUMMARY

An apparatus and a method are provided for performing cartilageallograft implant surgeries. The apparatus comprises an allograft plugkit comprising one or more grafts configured to treat osteochondraldefects in various bone joint locations in a patient's body. Each of thegrafts comprises a cartilage layer coupled with a bone portion, and hasa diameter and a length suitable for the bone joint location to betreated. In one embodiment, the grafts comprise diameters ranging fromsubstantially 5 millimeters (mm) to substantially 15 mm, and each of thegrafts has a length of substantially 12 mm. The cartilage layercomprises a thickness selected to closely match the thickness ofexisting cartilage at an implant location. The bone portion comprisessurface features configured to encourage the patient's bone tissue togrow into the bone portion, thereby accelerating incorporation of thegraft into the patient's bone. An instrument kit comprises amultiplicity of instruments configured for implantation of the graftsinto the patient's body, including at least a graft inserter, aguidewire, a reamer, and a size gauge.

In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for performing cartilageallograft implant surgeries comprises a sterile allograft plug kitcomprising one or more grafts configured to treat osteochondral defectsin various bone joint locations in a patient's body, the one or moregrafts each comprising a cartilage layer coupled with a bone portion;and at least one sterile instrument kit comprising a multiplicity ofinstruments including at least a graft inserter, a guidewire, a reamer,and a size gauge, the multiplicity of instruments being configured forimplanting the one or more grafts into the patient's body.

In another exemplary embodiment, the graft inserter comprises anelongate member having a distal graft retainer and a proximalapplicator, the distal graft retainer comprising an opening configuredto receive and hold the graft, the proximal applicator being inmechanical communication with the distal graft retainer by way of aninterior channel of the elongate member whereby the proximal applicatormay be used to push the graft out of the distal graft retainer and intoan osteochondral bore in the patient's body. In another exemplaryembodiment, the graft inserter comprises a viewport and a graft lengthindicator, the viewport facilitating direct observation of the graftwithin the distal graft retainer, the graft length indicator comprisinga series of ring lines positioned adjacent to the viewport with asequentially increasing distance from the distal graft retainer. Inanother exemplary embodiment, when the graft is fully received into thedistal graft retainer, the position of the top of the cartilage layerrelative to the graft length indicator provides a visual indication of atotal length of the graft.

In another exemplary embodiment, the guidewire comprises an elongateshaft having a distal pointed tip and a proximal blunt end, wherein thedistal pointed tip is configured to advance through obstructive tissuesand structures within bone joints, and wherein the proximal blunt endfacilitates manipulation of the guidewire by hand. In another exemplaryembodiment, the guidewire is comprised of a surgical stainless steel.

In another exemplary embodiment, the reamer comprises a rigid elongateshaft having a distal cutting end and a proximal shank, the distalcutting end comprising a cutting edge suitable for rotatably clearing anosteochondral bore, and the proximal shank being configured to begrasped by a chuck of a surgical drill, or other equivalent rotary tool.In another exemplary embodiment, the distal cutting edge comprises aspiral cutting edge. In another exemplary embodiment, the reamercomprises a central, lengthwise hole whereby the reamer is mountableonto the guidewire so as to direct the distal cutting end to an implantlocation within the bone joint.

In another exemplary embodiment, the size gauge comprises an elongatemember having a depth indicator and a proximal handle portion, the depthindicator comprising a series of ring lines positioned on the elongatemember with a sequentially increasing distance from a distal end of thesize gauge, the ring lines being configured to indicate the depth of anosteochondral bore into which the distal end is inserted. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the depth indicator correlates with a graft lengthindicator of the graft inserter so as to enable a surgeon to ensure thatthe osteochondral bore is drilled to a depth suitable to receive thegraft. In another exemplary embodiment, the elongate member comprises acentral, lengthwise hole having a diameter suitable to receive theguidewire so as to direct the depth indicator to the osteochondral bore.

In another exemplary embodiment, the one or more grafts comprisediameters ranging from substantially 5 millimeters (mm) to substantially15 mm, and each of the one or more grafts comprises a length ofsubstantially 12 mm. In another exemplary embodiment, the one or moregrafts are each harvested as a one-piece component from a bone jointlocation in a cadaver. In another exemplary embodiment, the cartilagelayer comprises a thickness which closely matches a thickness ofexisting cartilage at an implant location.

In another exemplary embodiment, the bone portion comprises amultiplicity of surface features configured to encourage the patient'sbone tissue to grow into the bone portion, thereby acceleratingincorporation of the graft into the patient's bone. In another exemplaryembodiment, the surface features comprise holes, dimples, orcircumferentially distributed longitudinal grooves. In another exemplaryembodiment, the holes comprise diameters depending upon the size of thegrafts and the locations within the patient's body where the grafts areintended to be implanted. In another exemplary embodiment, thelongitudinal grooves may be implemented with a variety of widths,lengths, depths and cross-sectional shapes within the bone portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method for an instrument kit forimplanting grafts into bone joints of a patient comprises configuringone or more grafts to treat osteochondral defects in various bone jointlocations in the patient's body, the one or more grafts each comprisinga cartilage layer coupled with a bone portion; assembling the one ormore grafts into a sterile allograft plug kit, the one or more graftshaving different diameters that are suitable for the various bone jointlocations in the patient's body; and combining the sterile allograftplug kit with a multiplicity of instruments configured for implantationof the one or more grafts into the patient's body, the multiplicity ofinstruments including at least a graft inserter, a guidewire, a reamer,and a size gauge. In another exemplary embodiment, configuring comprisesforming the one or more grafts such that the diameters of the one ormore grafts range from substantially 5 mm to substantially 15 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a lower perspective view of an exemplary embodimentof an allograft plug kit, according the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an upper perspective view of an exemplary embodimentof an allograft plug kit in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of asterile instrument kit for implanting allograft plugs into bone jointsof a patient in accordance with the present disclosure.

While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Theinvention should be understood to not be limited to the particular formsdisclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. Itwill be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that theinvention disclosed herein may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, specific numeric references such as “firstgraft,” may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should notbe interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted thatthe “first graft” is different than a “second graft.” Thus, the specificdetails set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may bevaried from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure. The term “coupled” is defined as meaningconnected either directly to the component or indirectly to thecomponent through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms“about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” for any numerical values orranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part orcollection of components to function for its intended purpose asdescribed herein.

In general, the present disclosure describes an apparatus and a methodfor performing cartilage allograft implant surgeries. The apparatuscomprises an allograft plug kit comprising one or more grafts configuredto treat osteochondral defects in various bone joint locations in apatient's body. The grafts each comprise a cartilage layer coupled witha bone portion. The cartilage layer comprises a thickness which closelymatches the thickness of existing cartilage at an implant location. Thebone portion comprises surface features configured to encourage thepatient's bone tissue to grow into the bone portion, therebyaccelerating incorporation of the graft into the patient's bone. In someembodiments, the grafts comprise diameters ranging from substantially 5millimeters (mm) to substantially 15 mm, and each of the graftscomprises a length of substantially 12 mm. An instrument kit comprises amultiplicity of instruments including at least a graft inserter, aguidewire, a reamer, and a size gauge. The instruments are configuredfor implantation of the grafts into the patient's body. In someembodiments, the graft inserter comprises an elongate member having adistal graft retainer and a proximal applicator. The distal graftretainer includes an opening configured to receive and hold the graft.The proximal applicator facilitates pushing the graft out of the distalgraft retainer and into an osteochondral bore formed in a bone joint ofthe patient.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate respective lower and upper perspective views ofexemplary embodiments of an allograft plug kit 100 advantageouslyconfigured for repairing a wide range of osteochondral defects,according the present disclosure. The allograft plug kit 100 generallycomprises a multiplicity of grafts 104 ranging from a relatively smalldiameter to a relatively large diameter. It will be appreciated that therange in diameters facilitates using the allograft plug kit 100 to treatosteochondral defects in various bone joint locations in the human body,such as by way of non-limiting example, a femoral condyle (most common),a humeral head, a talus, a capitellum of the elbow, and the like.

In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the allograftplug kit 100 comprises four grafts 104 ranging in size fromsubstantially 5 millimeters (mm) in diameter to substantially 15 mm indiameter. In some embodiments, the allograft plug kit 100 may comprise anumber of grafts greater than four, and thus grafts having diameterssmaller than 5 mm and/or greater than 15 mm may be included in theallograft plug kit 100. Moreover, the grafts 104 in the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 each comprises a length of substantially 12mm. In some embodiments, however, the grafts 104 may comprise differentlengths, depending upon the particular bone joints for which the grafts104 are intended. In some embodiments, the lengths of the grafts 104 mayrange from a relatively small value to a relatively large value. In someembodiments, the length of each graft 104 may be configured to correlatewith the diameter of the graft. It will be appreciated that theallograft plug kit 100 advantageously provides specifically-sized grafts104 whereby a surgeon may select the grafts based on a particular bonejoint to be treated. Further, it should be understood that a widevariety of dimensions and sizes of the grafts 104 may be incorporatedinto the allograft plug kit 100 without deviating from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the grafts 104comprises a bone portion 108 and a cartilage layer 112. It will beappreciated that each of the grafts 104 preferably is harvested as aone-piece component from a cartilage/bone joint location in a cadaver,and thus the cartilage layer 112 is advantageously affixed to the boneportion 108. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art thatduring implantation of the graft 104 into a recipient patient, damagedcartilage and underlying bone is removed from a joint to be treated,thereby forming an osteochondral bore having a diameter advantageouslysized to receive the graft 104. The graft 104 is then inserted into thebore such that the surface of the cartilage layer 112 is aligned withthe surrounding cartilage, thus encouraging healing and incorporation ofthe graft 104 into the patient's joint. As such, the cartilage layer 112preferably comprises a thickness which closely matches the thickness ofthe existing cartilage in the patient's joint. In some embodiments, thecartilage layer 112 comprises a thickness which depends upon thelocation in the cadaver from where the graft 104 is harvested. In someembodiments, the cartilage layer 112 is roughly 2 mm in thickness.

The bone portion 108 further comprises a multiplicity of surfacefeatures configured so as to promote the recipient patient's bone tissueto grow into the bone portion 108, thereby accelerating incorporation ofthe graft 104 into the patient's bone. In the embodiments illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the surface features comprise holes 116 and longitudinalgrooves 120. In some embodiments, the holes 116 may be relativelyshallow so as to form dimples on the sides of the bone portion 108. Insome embodiments, the holes 116 may be relatively deep, or extend allthe way across the diameter of the bone portion 108. Further, variousdiameter sizes of the holes 116 may be implemented depending upon thesize of the grafts 104 and the locations within the patient's body forwhich the grafts 104 are intended to be implanted.

Similarly, the longitudinal grooves 120 may be implemented with avariety of widths, lengths, and depths within the bone portion 108.Moreover, any number of the longitudinal grooves 120 may be formed intothe bone portion 108 and distributed around the circumference of thegraft 104. As will be appreciated, the specific number and dimensions ofthe longitudinal grooves 120 may be implemented based on the sizes ofthe grafts 104 and the locations within the patient's body where thegrafts 104 are to be implanted. Further, the longitudinal grooves 120may be implemented with a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes. Insome embodiments, the longitudinal grooves 120 comprise a hemisphericalcross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, the longitudinal grooves 120comprise a rectangular cross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, thelongitudinal grooves 120 comprise a triangular, or wedge,cross-sectional shape. Moreover, the longitudinal grooves 120incorporated into an individual graft 104 are not limited to possessingthe same cross-sectional shape, but rather various cross-sectionalshapes may be applied to the longitudinal grooves 120 formed on eachindividual graft 104. It should be understood, therefore, thatindividual grafts 104 need not be limited to one type of surfacefeature, but rather different types of surface features may be mixedincorporated into each of the grafts 104. Further, surface featuresother than holes and longitudinal grooves, as may become apparent tothose skilled in the art, may be incorporated into the grafts 104without going beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of aninstrument kit 140 configured for implanting the grafts 104 into bonejoints of a patient, as described herein. In the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 3, the instrument kit 140 comprises a graft inserter 144, aguidewire 148, a reamer 152, and a size gauge 156. In some embodiments,the instrument kit 140 may further comprise a tamp (not shown). As willbe appreciated, the instrument kit 100 comprises instruments necessaryto perform cartilage allograft implant surgeries. The sizes of theinstruments comprising the kit 140 will depend upon the size of theparticular graft 104 to be implanted into the patient. It is envisioned,therefore, that a surgeon may select one or more of the grafts 104 and acorrespondingly sized embodiment of the instrument kit 140 based on thelocation and size of the bone joint to be treated.

Referring still to FIG. 3, the graft inserter 144 comprises a generallyelongate member 160 having a distal graft retainer 164 and a proximalapplicator 168. The proximal applicator 168 is in mechanicalcommunication with the distal graft retainer 164 by way of an interiorchannel of the elongate member 160. The distal graft retainer 164comprises an opening configured to receive and advantageously hold thegraft 104 while the graft inserter 144 is used to direct the graft 104to an implant location within the patient. As will be appreciated, theimplant location generally is a surgically performed osteochondral boreformed so as to remove damaged articular cartilage and a portion of theunderlying bone tissue so as to accommodate implantation of the graft104. As such, the osteochondral bore has a diameter and a depth suitableto receive the graft 104, such that the cartilage layer 112 aligns withsurrounding healthy cartilage in the bone joint. Once the graft 104 issuitably positioned at the implant location, the proximal applicator 168may be used to push the graft 104 out of the distal graft retainer 164and into the osteochondral bore.

A viewport 172 facilitates directly observing the position of the graft104 within the distal graft retainer 164. Further, the viewport 172facilitates observing the length of the graft by way of a graft lengthindicator 176. The graft length indicator 176 comprises a series of ringlines positioned adjacent to the viewport 172 with a sequentiallyincreasing distance from the distal graft retainer 164. As will beappreciated, when the graft 104 is fully received into the distal graftretainer 164, the position of the top of the cartilage layer 112relative to the graft length indicator 176 provides a visual indicationof the total length of the graft 104. Thus, the viewport 172 and thegraft length indicator 176 advantageously enables the surgeon to verifythat a correctly sized graft 104 has been selected for surgery.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the guidewire 148 comprises an elongate shaft180 having a distal pointed tip 184 and a proximal blunt end 188. Theguidewire 148 is configured to be inserted into confined spaces withinbone joints and serves to direct a subsequent insertion of the reamer152 and the size gauge 156 to the implant location within the bonejoint. In some embodiments, the guidewire 148 is comprised of a surgicalstainless steel, such as austenitic 316 stainless steel, martensitic 440stainless steel, martensitic 420 stainless steel, and the like. It willbe appreciated that the distal pointed tip 184 facilitates advancing theguidewire 148 through obstructive tissues and structures, and theproximal blunt end 188 facilitates manipulating the guidewire 148 byhand, or by way of an appropriate tool.

The reamer 152 comprises a rigid elongate shaft 192 having a distalcutting end 196 and a proximal shank 200. The distal cutting end 196comprises a cutting edge suitable for rotatably clearing anosteochondral bore, thereby removing damaged articular cartilage and anunderlying bone portion from the bone joint being treated. In someembodiments, the distal cutting edge 196 comprises a spiral cuttingedge, although other suitable cutting edge configurations will beapparent. The proximal shank 200 is configured to be grasped by a chuckof a surgical drill, or other equivalent rotary tool. Further, in someembodiments the reamer 152 comprises a central, lengthwise hole wherebythe reamer may be mounted onto the guidewire 148 so as to direct thedistal cutting end 196 to the implant location within the bone joint.

Within continuing reference to FIG. 3, the size gauge 156 comprises agenerally elongate member 204 having a depth indicator 208 and aproximal handle portion 212. The size gauge 156 further comprises acentral, lengthwise hole 216 having a diameter suitable to receive theguidewire 148. The central hole 216 facilitates mounting the size gaugeonto the guidewire 148 so as to direct the depth indicator 208 to theosteochondral bore formed within the bone joint. The depth indicator 208comprises a series of ring lines positioned on the elongate member witha sequentially increasing distance from a distal end of the size gauge156. As will be appreciated, upon inserting the depth indicator 208fully into the osteochondral bore, the ring lines provide the surgeonwith a direct observation of the depth of the bore. It should beunderstood that the depth indicator 208 generally correlates with thegraft length indicator 176 of the graft inserter 144 so as to ensurethat the osteochondral bore is drilled to a depth suitable toaccommodate the graft 104, such that the cartilage layer 112 aligns withthe surrounding cartilage within the bone joint.

It is envisioned that the instrument kit 140 is to be suitablysterilized for surgeries, and packaged into sterilized containers. Insome embodiments, the size gauge 156 is packaged in a first sterilecontainer, while the graft inserter 144, the guidewire 148, and thereamer 152 are packaged in a second sterile container, and the graft 104is packaged in a third sterile container. The first, second, and thirdsterile containers are then bundled together into a single, exteriorcontainer, thereby forming a convenient surgery-specific cartilageallograft package. It is envisioned that other packaging techniques willbe apparent to those skilled in the art without deviating from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure.

While the invention has been described in terms of particular variationsand illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the invention is not limited to the variations or figuresdescribed. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicatecertain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may bemodified and that such modifications are in accordance with thevariations of the invention. Additionally, certain of the steps may beperformed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well asperformed sequentially as described above. To the extent there arevariations of the invention, which are within the spirit of thedisclosure or equivalent to the inventions found in the claims, it isthe intent that this patent will cover those variations as well.Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited bythe specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for performing cartilage allograftimplant surgeries, comprising: a sterile allograft plug kit comprisingone or more grafts configured to treat osteochondral defects in variousbone joint locations in a patient's body, the one or more grafts eachcomprising a cartilage layer coupled with a bone portion; and at leastone sterile instrument kit comprising a multiplicity of instrumentsincluding at least a graft inserter, a guidewire, a reamer, and a sizegauge, the multiplicity of instruments being configured for implantingthe one or more grafts into the patient's body.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the graft inserter comprises an elongate member havinga distal graft retainer and a proximal applicator, the distal graftretainer comprising an opening configured to receive and hold the graft,the proximal applicator being in mechanical communication with thedistal graft retainer by way of an interior channel of the elongatemember whereby the proximal applicator may be used to push the graft outof the distal graft retainer and into an osteochondral bore in thepatient's body.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the graft insertercomprises a viewport and a graft length indicator, the viewportfacilitating direct observation of the graft within the distal graftretainer, the graft length indicator comprising a series of ring linespositioned adjacent to the viewport with a sequentially increasingdistance from the distal graft retainer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein when the graft is fully received into the distal graft retainer,the position of the top of the cartilage layer relative to the graftlength indicator provides a visual indication of a total length of thegraft.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guidewire comprises anelongate shaft having a distal pointed tip and a proximal blunt end,wherein the distal pointed tip is configured to advance throughobstructive tissues and structures within bone joints, and wherein theproximal blunt end facilitates manipulation of the guidewire by hand. 6.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the guidewire is comprised of asurgical stainless steel.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thereamer comprises a rigid elongate shaft having a distal cutting end anda proximal shank, the distal cutting end comprising a cutting edgesuitable for rotatably clearing an osteochondral bore, and the proximalshank being configured to be grasped by a chuck of a surgical drill, orother equivalent rotary tool.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein thedistal cutting edge comprises a spiral cutting edge.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the reamer comprises a central, lengthwise hole wherebythe reamer is mountable onto the guidewire so as to direct the distalcutting end to an implant location within the bone joint.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the size gauge comprises an elongatemember having a depth indicator and a proximal handle portion, the depthindicator comprising a series of ring lines positioned on the elongatemember with a sequentially increasing distance from a distal end of thesize gauge, the ring lines being configured to indicate the depth of anosteochondral bore into which the distal end is inserted.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the depth indicator correlates with agraft length indicator of the graft inserter so as to enable a surgeonto ensure that the osteochondral bore is drilled to a depth suitable toreceive the graft.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the elongatemember comprises a central, lengthwise hole having a diameter suitableto receive the guidewire so as to direct the depth indicator to theosteochondral bore.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one ormore grafts comprise diameters ranging from substantially 5 millimeters(mm) to substantially 15 mm, and each of the one or more graftscomprises a length of substantially 12 mm.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the one or more grafts are each harvested as a one-piececomponent from a bone joint location in a cadaver.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the cartilage layer comprises a thickness whichclosely matches a thickness of existing cartilage at an implantlocation.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bone portioncomprises a multiplicity of surface features configured to encourage thepatient's bone tissue to grow into the bone portion, therebyaccelerating incorporation of the graft into the patient's bone.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the surface features comprise holes,dimples, or circumferentially distributed longitudinal grooves.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, wherein the holes comprise diameters dependingupon the size of the grafts and the locations within the patient's bodywhere the grafts are intended to be implanted.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the longitudinal grooves may be implemented with avariety of widths, lengths, depths and cross-sectional shapes within thebone portion.
 20. A method for an instrument kit for implanting graftsinto bone joints of a patient, comprising: configuring one or moregrafts to treat osteochondral defects in various bone joint locations inthe patient's body, the one or more grafts each comprising a cartilagelayer coupled with a bone portion; assembling the one or more graftsinto a sterile allograft plug kit, the one or more grafts havingdifferent diameters that are suitable for the various bone jointlocations in the patient's body; and combining the sterile allograftplug kit with a multiplicity of instruments configured for implantationof the one or more grafts into the patient's body, the multiplicity ofinstruments including at least a graft inserter, a guidewire, a reamer,and a size gauge.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein configuringcomprises forming the one or more grafts such that the diameters of theone or more grafts range from substantially 5 mm to substantially 15 mm.